Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Gallardo.
Sophia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am an estate planning attorney with McGovern Law Group, APC in San Diego, CA. I grew up in Chula Vista, CA and attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. A move across the country was extremely out of my comfort zone but I was up for the experience. I entered Saint Joe’s with the intent of pursuing a degree in Psychology. I was always very drawn to getting to know someone’s story and understanding people through an empathetic lens. However, after my first semester of freshman year, I wasn’t as passionate as my peers. I noticed my classmates were eager to answer questions or come up with scenarios/examples for potential studies whereas I, on the other hand, felt behind and not as excited as them. I felt worried and reached out to my academic advisor in the Psychology department. I expressed to her my feelings of not being as passionate as my peers and feeling lost as a freshman college student. She advised me to come home during winter break and speak to my parents and ask them what they could see me doing. After long conversations with my parents, my parents suggested law school. They said I am the “fair one” out of my sisters and can usually make solid arguments (I think those are typical qualities of a middle child) but once they brought up the idea, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had never considered law school as I would tend to limit myself and think “I am not smart enough”, “I don’t know any attorneys”, “law school is too difficult”…The truth was I had never considered law school because I was focused on psychology. A year later, I had the opportunity to shadow a family/friend who had her own law practice in estate planning. She was kind enough to allow me to shadow her for the summer and sit in on client meetings and court hearings. It was through this first hand experience that I was able to see my two interests come together: (1) the psychology aspect of getting to know someone’s story and (2) providing a legal solution. As an estate planning attorney I get to know and learn my client’s family values, the legacy they want to leave behind, their relationships, and I get to learn about their life and what led them to where they are today. Additionally, I am able to uphold my client’s intent with a living trust, last will and testament and/or power of attorney documents. Estate Planning allows me to still be able to meet my clients with empathy but also make sure their intent is upheld and their families can avoid the struggle and financial burden that comes with court intervention. I am now in my fourth year of practice as an estate planning attorney and I am grateful for having the courage to speak up as a freshman when I didn’t feel that passion as a psychology student.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been smooth! I am a practicing Catholic and strongly believe that God has led and carried me every step of the way. One of my hardest struggles was preparing for the California Bar Exam. All licensed California attorneys can likely attest that passing the bar exam on the first attempt is not a small feat. When I began studying for the exam after graduating law school, I struggled with believing I could pass the exam on the first try. Not only was the Bar exam a test of memorization and application but it was also a mental battle. I had to push through those negative thoughts of thinking I wasn’t going to pass on my first try. Thankfully, I had very supportive parents and an amazing support system that I was able to completely focus on the bar. I studied for about 8-10 hours every single day for 3 months. It took a lot of dedication, prayers, perseverance, and faith. I am happy to share I passed the bar exam on my first attempt. My career as an attorney has come with a lot of growing pains, especially in the first few years, so I am extremely grateful to my parents, sisters, extended family and friends, mentors, and colleagues who have believed in me and encouraged me to be my best self and to give myself grace.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an estate planning attorney in San Diego. Estate planning is the process of ensuring an individual’s assets are passed down to their intended beneficiaries and allows a clients voice to heard. Here, the client is in control of their assets, has a say in who is in charge of managing their assets if they are deemed incapacitated or have passed away, and helps prevent court intervention which can be very burdensome and costly. Most people believe Estate Planning is only for the rich and famous but in California, if you own assets in your name alone and the value of an asset exceeds the probate threshold (currently in California it is $208,850), it can trigger this court process known as probate court. Disclaimer: this is not legal advice. This is meant to be legal information. If you have specific questions, I recommend contacting an attorney for your specific needs.
When I meet with clients, I get to understand their family situations, assets, the people they want to provide for and protect, their concerns and hesitations. What sets me apart as an estate planning attorney is I meet my clients where they are and provide them with several scenarios they may not have considered. We build a plan based on their needs and a plan that can allow their assets to efficiently transfer to their loved ones. I am also fluent in Spanish and I get to work with a lot of Spanish speaking clients. Most of my clients are bilingual but if their native language is Spanish, they prefer to have a Spanish speaking attorney help them understand the importance of estate planning. I am extremely grateful to my parents and grandparents for encouraging me to continue practicing my Spanish throughout my life.
I also understand that the ability to hire an attorney is not a feasible option for all. I spend a few hours once every quarter as a volunteer attorney for a local pro bono clinic in San Diego. I am grateful to give back to the community that I grew up in and provide free legal services to indigent communities.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t really believe in luck! I believe that God allows us to be exactly where we need to be and meet the right people in His timing. There have been quite a few times where I felt I have failed but if it wasn’t for those failures, I don’t think I would have the grit and determination I have today. Unfortunately, life is full of failures and disappointments but it is what we do with those failures or setbacks that matters. Getting back up after failing helps build character.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mcgovernlawgroup.com/
